Abstract:

Marketing Research is embroiled in an attempted coup d'etat, where many of the old values of a scientific discipline are being shed in favor of the exciting new possibilities of a Web 2.0 world. This paper suggests that it is not yet time to abandon science; there remains a fundamental need for going beyond observational research to gain a deeper understanding of our brands and our research methods. We argue that there are many frontiers remaining to be understood (advertising, branding, category management, etc.) and that our science is better served by solving our existing problems than by looking for new ones.